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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. track — a path
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wax — to grow
  7. track — a song
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitch — completely
  13. kid — child
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. kid — to tease
  19. swing — music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com